Miracle on New York Hills (Part 1 of New York Hills)

Slumber Party

No one needs to know how close he came to dying trying to get this vision. Raph would keep him within arms reach for the rest of his life. Still, he keeps his promise to April. He really is looking forward to the slumber party, but he is going to keep the almost dying part to himself.

"There were so many stairs!" Mikey complains, waving around the hand that April isn't painting.

"So that's what took so long," April muses, an amused smile dancing on her face, "I forgot about those."

"So did I! Although that's mostly because Da- he slept on the bottom floor, so I never had to climb them," Mikey rubs the back of his neck shyly, before his eyes widen in realisation, "He just had a pile of blankets on the floor before the sandfall, because his room was uncomfortable."

"Sandfall?" April raises an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah. Some sand falls over the entrance to the actual tower bit," Mikey explains and frowns, "But his actual room was function over comfort. I always thought he stayed downstairs for us."

"Guess that's why his back always hurts," April says absentmindedly.

"He had a bad back?" Mikey asks, curious handing her his other hand.

April doesn't answer, seemingly buried in her task. Mikey frowns, but doesn't pursue his suspicions.

"His room is the worst!" Mikey decides to change the subject.

"He always had a lot riding on him," April answers, finishing the actual painting part of nail painting and cleaning the edge of the nails a bit, "He was the heir, the first with a gift, the mutant that led the Baron... and being a parent is hard enough, but having four kids and being a single parent? That's tough."

"But Raph did all that!" Mikey protests, "He fed us! Played with us! Made us sleep! Took care of us! Raph was more of a dad than he ever was!" Mikey freezes and his eyes widen, remembering his earlier conversation with his oldest brother, "Oh," Mikey wishes he wasn't so hard on Raph when he was younger.

April doesn't hear the last part, "Lou loved you, Mikey."

"Then why did he leave because of me?"

"He didn't!"

"He left during the night after my ceremony! Because he had a vision! This vision!" Mikey empties his bag, thankful for the quick dry nail polish, and pieces together the vision, "I'm destroying the magic! I'm hurting the family!" Mikey almost screams, wiping at the tears pouring down the sides of his face.

"No, you're not! That's not why he left!" April reaches out to help wipe them away, but Mikey slaps her hand away, before realising what he just did and giving her a slightly apologetic look.

"How would you know?" he growls.

"Because I heard!"

"Wh... What?" Mikey stammers, caught off guard.

April won't meet his eyes.

"April, what did you just say?" Mikey asks, tone disbelieving.

"Mikey..."

"What did you hear?" Mikey's tone and face are blank.

"I can't tell you that," April sighs, fiddling with the nail file in her hands.

"Why not?" Mikey asks.

"It's not for me to tell."

"But Dad's gone!" Mikey yells, "He's been gone for most of my life! The vision is about me!" Mikey slams a hand against the makeup case, sending it flying and scattering nail polish all over April's floor, something he will definitely regret later, "I'm hurting my family! I'm hurting the magic! I'm destroying the miracle!"

April's door slowly opens fully.

Lou is there, one hand raised as if to knock.

A wheeze escapes him.

He pops into Mikey, bangs his hand on his shell, pops into April, bangs her back and pops into Donnie. His mouth is wide open.

He heard everything.

"Donnie..." Mikey whispers.

Donnie bolts.

Mikey gives chase, but Donnie's already gone. Donnie has never moved so fast in his life. Mikey turns around frantically, trying to spot his older brother.

Flash.

Mikey tries to open Donnie's flashing door (he used to think that that meant Gram-Gram wanted him to go in there when he was younger, when he'd watch his older siblings' doors regularly flash, but now he knows better), but as Mikey opens the door enough for purple light to escape the room, a metal barrier rises up behind it. Mikey assumes it is made from reinforced titanium. Donnie loves the stuff and makes all his tech from it.

"He's going to tell everyone," April says, having just caught up.

———

The night is spent avoiding the subject of the vision and focusing on Donnie. April will always have his back, because that's what his older sister is like and he loves her for it, even if he's still upset. Still, he understands, somewhat. April hears everything, so she keeps many secrets, as long as they aren't harmful to the family. She prefers to encourage people to admit things themselves.

It doesn't stop it from hurting.

In the morning, Mikey gets scolded by Grandpa Sho for talking to Raph, when they run into each other. April is sleeping and he has to get breakfast ready, but Raph was up early trying to move the table, only to struggle and give up, running past the two crying and talking about how he is losing his gift. Obviously, Grandpa Sho blames it on Mikey because it's all Mikey's fault, just like everything.

Gram-Gram shudders.

Grandpa Sho leaves to collect Sunita and her father.

Mikey unclenches his fists and proceeds to the kitchen.

April and Mikey end up barricading Donnie between them at breakfast and Mikey takes great pleasure in making his older brother sweat and keep quiet. Donnie struggles with keeping secrets and is the worst at lying, despite his love for acting and theatre. It's quiet at the table, with Raph inside his own head and Grandpa Sho headed to meet Sunita and her father.

Leo doesn't take to silence well and decides that Donnie is the perfect target to break it.

"Sooooo, Dee. You're being very quiet. Did something explode recently?" Leo smirks.

April glares at Donnie, who sinks into his shell slightly, sweating even more. His smile tenses and he opens his mouth to speak-

"Donnie doesn't blow stuff up that much, Leon," Mikey interrupts with a growl of the last word and a scowl on his face, glaring.

"Easy, bro," Leo chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm just jazzing him a little."

Mikey exaggeratedly rolls his eyes and watches Leon get up, leaving his half finished plate. He doesn't think much of it. Leo has a lower metabolism rate than the rest of them and regularly eats less. His stamina pays for it, but there's nothing anyone can do about it. He doesn't get why Donnie gets up, having only eaten a few bites, but Mikey and April stand up to. The others at the table give them strange looks.

Donnie gulps and Mikey and April continue to smile at him.

Then, he shifts into a small Baku Yokai child and slips between Mikey's legs.

"Hey!" Mikey calls, "Get back here!"

April and Mikey give chase. Behind them, the rest of the table shrug.